The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1887-06-09
STAGE GOSSIP.
NOVELTIES THAT DID NOT BREAK
THE SUMMER DULLNEss. i.
Features Of the Week at the New York
Theatres-Light Opera still Maintain
ing Itself in Favor Despite Warm
weather-Career Of Baltimore Girl.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS oPche CsssA ~-es''ASo'sA.-
ing Itself in Favor Despite Warm
weather-Career Of . Baltimore Girl.
NEW YORK, June Ave have had only
two novelties in the theatrical line dur.
ing the past fortnight, and neither Of
those has moved us from our state of
summer lethargy. Indeed, one of the
pair of alleged new plays was disap-
pointment of the most exasperating
character. When you are enticed into
theatre by the promise of strictly new
play, and when to see that new play you
sit and swelter through four long hours
of sultry summer afternoon, I think
you have right to feel at outs with the
author who Willingly dupes you. Every.
body who was sufferer through the
three long acts of "Fair Fame" at the
Madison square few days ago agrees
that Mr.. Clinton Stuart was not fair
sort of dramatist. There is no reason
why he should not be. Certainly he has
had experience enough to know that the
playwright who keeps his word with the
theatre-goers is the one whose future is
always the brightest. Besides, Mr.. Stuart
has had every reason to treat the New
York play patrons with becoming
fairness, for it is not long since they
gave his comedy, "Our Society,"" the
warmest kind of a send-off. Naturally,
then, when he announced "Fair Fame"
for special matinee ut the Madison
square and heralded it vaguely as ian
adaptation from the French of Alex. Du-
mas" he led his friends to expect a rev.
elation and perhaps a treat. They did
not get either, for "Fair Fame" turned
out to be simply weak and paltry dis
guise of Dumas nasty play, "Denise."
think it was three years ago that saw
Clara Morris try her consummate skill
] with this shocking drama at Daly's
Theatre. Somebody or other had done the
translation, and Augustin DAILY completed
the work of adaptation; for which, by the
way, he charged Miss Morris such a
pretty penny that they afterward went
to law about it, and for a time there
were interesting developments as to
Days literary methods. The trouble
has never yet been amicably adjusted, l
believe.
l did not hear how much money 1t cost
Clara Morris to experiment with
"Denise," but am quite certain that she
lost good round sum before she finished
that notable summer season at Days.
In the face of her failure am surprised
at Clinton Stuart's attempt at resurrec-
tion, particularly SO because Mr.. Stuart
is an actor whose admiration for Clara
Morris should have warned him, and
whose knowledge as q correspondent
ought to have kept track of the Denise
fiasco. As it is, Fair Fame" will never
again be heard of, you may be sure. The
critics blew it to pieces next morning,
and with it, am sorry to say, good
piece of "Walsingham" Stuart's reputa.
tion took to wings.
The remaining novelty of late date has
been "On the Rio Grande," not alto.
gether bad melodrama by Colonel Keys
and Mark Price, the latter an actor OF
ripe experience and one of the best i'm.
seen on this stage. The piece was played
at Harry Miners Peoples Theatre, wher'
the smells on hot night are worse thai
any or all of the Cologne stenches o
which we hear so much about. But IL
spite of perspiration and too narrow
seats I rather liked "On the Rio Grande
Certainly there was no lack of homes
endeavor on the part of the actors in tn,
piece, chief among whom were Ed
Laub, q comedian from way back, and
Price himself, the latter, by the way, a
factory boy of thirty years ago and q
hard-working fellow all his life.
John McCaull made change this week
at Wallack's to "Falka," that mirthfu
opera of Paul DeChassaigne's. which We
heard for the first time two years ago al
the Casino, where McCaull then had the
upper hand. Since then that busy and
shrewd young manager, Rudolph Aron
son, has had beneath the Casino roo
McCaull successes, but to "Falka," merry
"Falka," there at least remains LITTLE
Alfred Klein, whose Pelican was tn,
most unctuous impersonation of bibu
lous monk New York has ever laughed
at. At Wallack's this week, Klein ha
easily repeated his hit of '95, and in othe
respects "Falka" has been excellent,
sung.
The Duff Company have revive,
"Iolanthe" at the Standard, where Lillial
Russell is singing Phyllis as demurely a
If no angry costumer had ever dared t.
, sue her this week for a five-year-o
debt. At the Grand, Rose Coghlan 1
playing a week in her familiar and well
liked repertory, and at the Harlem
Comique the "Fantasma" Company
owned by the Hanlons, are closing thei
season, which am told has been one O
almost continuous profit. Besides thes
changes, we have had Edwin Arden, tina
} promising young star, at the Windsor
,, the perennially popular "Uncle Tom
Cabin" at the Third d-avenue, and Williar
.. Cullington in "For Congress" at Poole
popular-price theatre Cullington, mus
not forget to add, hopes the day will 500
come when the world of play-goers wi
, hail him successor to John T. Raymond
Thus far his prospects are not alsrmingl
| bright. Six of our amusement resort
: are now closed for the summer-Harr
} gan's, the Thalia, Fifth-avenue, Academ
of Music and Metropolitan Opera Hous,
and within fortnight this list will prot
ably be doubled in number.
Rudolph Aronson told me the othe
) night that 1t was actually fact this
! Lille Grubb would share the leading rol
with Pauline Hall at the Casino mex
season. Miss Grubb is so much of Ne,
, York favorite that few people here ar
, oUoro thot oho covnoa from tho So,,tI